Put dried flowers to good use
If you receive flowers for your birthday, an anniversary, or any other occasion, you will most likely enjoy these beautiful blooms for a couple of weeks before they wilt and you have to throw them away. At least, that's what many people think! There are a number of ways to put dried flowers to good use. Once you consider these great ideas, you'll never want to throw flowers away again!
The first way of keeping your flowers for longer is by drying them out. There are a number of ways to do this although the most popular and inexpensive involves hanging the bouquet upside down in a dry place out of the wind and sun. While the colours will change somewhat, the shape will remain which means that the dried bouquet can then be displayed in a vase or even a box frame on the wall.
If the flowers are not suitable for drying in this way, you could use the leaves and petals to make your own potpourri. Make sure that you spread the plant material out so that it can dry thoroughly before you place in a bowl and add your favourite essential oils.
If you don't mind plucking the flowers from the bouquet before they wilt too much, then you might like to press flowers. You will need some kind of flower press or a stack of heavy books. Use plain tissue paper and paper towels to line the pages of the book so that the flowers don't cause any damage. Press for a couple of weeks before checking the progress. If need be, press for a few more days before checking again. Once the desired result is reached, you can then use these pressed flowers in various crafts including decoupage.
Dried flowers can also be used to decorate plain white candles. You need only crush them on some wax paper, pour a thin layer of wax on the side of the candle and then roll the candle in the crushed flowers to make them stick to the candle. Do this as many times as you need to cover the entire candle. Alternatively, you can apply smaller amounts of wax and carefully apply each petal to create a more precise design.
So, the next time you receive a flower delivery, make sure that you choose a method to preserve these flowers before they start to wilt. This will ensure that you don't miss the perfect opportunity to either hang or press them for later use.
